Building My Social Selling Nest at Hootsuite

It’s time to turn the page on another year. If I’ve learned anything over the last 41 years of existence it’s that many chapters in our book of life will fade into memory and others will stand out as prominent as a beacon of light. For me, 2016 was a beacon. A year that was impacted with experiences and decisions that are sure to set the stage for the next decade.

Many years ago, I started in tech as a receptionist (ya…for real!). I worked at the front desk of a software company. I answered phones and emptied the dishwasher. That was the role I applied for and the one I held until I got an opportunity to move into sales (That’s a whole other story). That series of events led me to where I am today.

I lived with one belief, “Go to where they are making the thing that you like”. Get close to it. I knew that if I failed I would still learn something but if I didn’t even try I would regret it. That has been a driving factor for me my entire professional life and it has served me well.

The safe road holds no victory, only regret.

Last year started off professionally as the pentacle of my career. I had maneuvered my way over the years from the role of inside salesperson to being the head of social media at the world’s largest professional social network. LinkedIn was the most rewarding, challenging and career accelerating company I had ever been a part of. In that process, I also found the clarity that I wasn’t doing what I really wanted to do.

You see, just as success is addicting and feeds off of itself, I learned that clarity operates the same way. When I left LinkedIn and wrote my ‘End of Tour’ post, I left the future open-ended. I knew deep down that I was looking for the next big thing to dig my brain into and I’ve found it.

For the Peeple by the Peeple.

I’ve taken a new role at Hootsuite as an Industry Principal for Social Selling. It started with an InMail and quickly became my next opportunity to have an impact. Hootsuite launched in December 2008 and I started using the platform on Jan. 29 2009. So I guess you can say that Hootsuite has been part of my social selling workflow from the beginning.

Being a part of this company is an honor. Having the opportunity to help grow the business and influence the future of social selling is a privilege and a challenge I am excited to tackle.

It’s easy to articulate why I came to this decision. As I mentioned, I have been a fan and using this platform for a long time. In 2014, creating this social selling video was one of those moments that will always stand out to me. I understand where Hootsuite fits into the social selling ecosystem and what they are setting out to accomplish in the space is something I am uniquely qualified to support.

When put through my rocking chair test, the opportunity at Hootsuite was something I couldn’t pass on. The company is growing fast, super fast, the mission and values are ones that I inherently align to. The Hootsuite culture reminds me of LinkedIn, so that along with the stage of the company, makes me believe that this company is set to explode. (in a good way.)

When it comes to establishing your professional brand on social networks, Hootsuite has been at my hub of discovery and engagement. That shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, Mark Feldman wrote this great article in Forbes about how Twitter was the dominant social network for social selling.

Don’t worry, [in] still holds a very special place in my heart and I would love to find ways to make these two worlds align.

Over the past weeks I have been spending time in London meeting with their EMEA teams and now as this posts, I am in Vancouver meeting the teams from the NAMER and APAC offices. Social selling is an evolving space and Hootsuite has built a platform to empower people to connect at scale.

Hootsuite is the platform for amplification and engagement at scale.

Companies being able to use one platform to curate approved content and distribute to employees for sharing on social networks is in high demand. When I look at the ecosystem for platforms like this, Hootsuite stands out as a leader in this space with 15 million users worldwide and 167 additional applications to help professionals customize their experience.

I feel strongly that the reason I’m here is to continue moving the needle for social selling. Internally for sales people to build their professional brands, build their own pipelines and nurture their own clients. Externally helping social buyers and our customers make smarter decisions about what platforms to invest in.

For those already in the nest, I am here to help. For those companies looking for to transform into a social business, Hootsuite is ready to guide your journey to success.

Koka Sexton

Koka Sexton is a renowned expert in social selling. Some would say Koka Sexton is the reason social selling exists, he would say that social selling existed once buyers went online.
A recognized expert in social selling that has produced revenue for B2B companies, Koka continues to make generating new business the focus of social media.
Finding creative ways to plan, develop and execute content marketing campaigns that break through the noise and provide value to buyers in excess of what they expect.